Due to the ever-increasing demand by numerous businesses for efficient mail handling equipment, many systems have been developed in an attempt to automatically receive envelopes, process the envelopes, slit the envelopes open and present the contents of the envelopes in a manner which is most efficiently handled by an operator. Although these prior art systems have been reasonably efficient in receiving the envelopes and slitting the envelopes open, substantial difficulty has been encountered in providing an efficient system capable of pre-processing the envelopes by removing envelopes which require special handling. By providing a system which is able to reliably and consistently outsort unwanted envelopes, the envelopes capable of being handled in the conventional manner are able to be more efficiently processed, with the contents thereof easily and conveniently removed from the envelope for checking and entry by an operator.
Although various prior art systems have been developed in an attempt to satisfy the needs and desires of the industry, these prior art attempts have been unable to provide an envelope handling system which is capable of repeatedly and reliably removing or outsorting envelopes which require special processing or which cannot be expeditiously and efficiently handled along with conventional envelope contents. Typically, prior art systems are unable to provide infinite resolution of an envelope by examining the entire envelope, or selected portions thereof, and not erroneously outsort envelopes due to misreading construction seams, stamps, address labels, etc.
Although various prior art systems have been developed, these prior art systems have failed to provide thickness detectors for efficiently, accurately and repeatedly removing envelopes failing to meet only the particularly desired criteria. Consequently, such prior art attempts have been unable to satisfy the needs of the industry.
In general, these prior art systems have been incapable of repeatedly, reliably, and consistently recognizing envelopes which should be specially handled and effectively removing such envelopes from the stream of envelopes which are able to be processed expeditiously. In addition, these prior art systems have typically incorporated mechanical constructions to determine thickness variations. As a result, these prior art mechanical constructions have been incapable of providing consistent and repeatable results, due to the tendency of such constructions to incur dimensional changes, drift, or hysteresis.
Another problem found in prior art systems, due to the typical construction, is the inability of the prior art thickness detectors to enable the user to select any desired area or zone along the length of the envelope as the site on which the thickness is to be detected. As a result, thickness-affecting factors such as the construction of the envelope, labels, stamps, transparent windows, etc., cannot be avoided and often produce erroneous results.
In most prior art constructions, the envelope passes between a pair of measuring devices, such as rollers, plates, drums, or arms, causing the measuring devices to separate a distance equal to the thickness of the envelope. Unfortunately, this typical construction causes the prior art systems to measure thickness along the entire envelope width. As a result, uncontrollable, non-important variations in the envelope affects the measurements being taken, causing processable envelopes to be erroneously outsorted. Consequently, these prior art systems fail to effectively and efficiently measure the actual contents of the envelope.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a thickness and length detecting system for automated mail handling systems which is capable of providing effective, efficient, and accurate outsorting of envelopes which fail to meet the precisely defined parameters.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness and length detection system having the characteristic features described above which is capable of complete adjustability to provide infinite resolution of the envelope by enabling the thickness detection to be taken along any desired portion site or zone of the envelope.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness and length detection system for automated envelope handling systems having the characteristic features described above which efficiently and automatically separates all envelopes requiring special handling while advancing all desired envelopes for normal processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness and length detection system for use with an automated envelope handling system which is capable of operating continuously and efficiently without manual intervention.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a thickness and length detection system for use with an automated envelope handling system which is completely adjustable for customized use while being easily installed and operated without requiring extensive knowledge or training.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.